


1.25 Seconds

by Enchantable



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 06:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19145650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enchantable/pseuds/Enchantable
Summary: “Take that back,” Michael says.“Take what back?” Alex asks, confused but unwilling to let it show. He has more of a right to be pissed off right now than Michael does, “he doesn’t care? My issues—““He’ll stick around. Take it back. I stuck around for a decade waiting for you and it wasn’t enough.”





	1.25 Seconds

**Author's Note:**

> Original Prompt: Malex prompt “he doesn’t care that I’m a Manes, he doesn’t care about my daddy issues. He’ll stick around, Michael.”

“I don’t care what he wants, tonight’s about getting it on. Third date rules.”

Tequila was never made to go up someone’s nose but Michael turns, just to be sure. The guy standing there is the guy Alex walked in with. He glances over at Maria who glares at him and at the guy. He’s not thrilled about being in the same boat as him, but he’ll take it. He sets down his glass and goes over. The guy looks back at him and sweeps his gaze up and down his body. Michael is immediately uncomfortable at being leered at.

“Hey hot stuff,” the guy says, “can I buy you a drink?”

“I saw you with a guy earlier,” Michael says, “what about him.”

“It’s nothing serious,” the guy says, “we’re not exclusive.”

“Does he know that?” Michael demands.

“Who are you? My mother?” The jackass says, getting to his feet.

Michael snorts a laugh and decks the guy as hard as he can.

As a rule Michael doesn’t use his powers in a bar fight. But hell if he doesn’t come close. Apparently Alex’s type is highly trained beefcake, but Michael has the rage of a broken heart on his side. Which is possibly the only thing that gets him through, though the tussle winds up outside. Finally he has the guy on his back, bleeding freely and with one less tooth than he started out with.

“Now you can go home to your mom,” he sneers, “and tell her what a jackass you are.”

He throws the guy down and he scrambles away. Michael wipes under his nose. He’s definitely bleeding from a couple places. Maria’s big issue was his lack of fighting for her or letting her in. Or being, you know, a semi decent boyfriend. Which granted he can see his shortcomings in. Still he’s not enough of a jackass to show up inside and ask for help after what he just pulled. Shaking his head, he thinks maybe he’s got something in his car. But when he turns around he finds the alley is blocked.

By Alex.

Shit.

“What the hell was that?” Alex demands.

He looks pissed off. Michael curses again in his head. Maybe he wanted to stop the dating Alex has been doing, but he imagined himself being more clever about it and not quite as bloody. Suave. This is every cliche he doesn’t want to believe. But overall it was worth it, he thinks, if it gets that asshole away from him. Except Alex looks pissed off. He’s good with Alex’s different varieties of upset and this one, this isn’t a good one. This is the ‘world ends with a whimper’ kind of mad that makes ice slide down his spine. Or blood down his nose.

“He was hitting on me,” Michael says.

  
“So?” Alex demands, “we aren’t exclusive.”

“That doesn’t matter. If he’s on a date with you—“

“Then it’s none of your business,” Alex says, steel in his voice. Michael stops, “who I date doesn’t affect you.”

“I thought we were friends!” Michael protests.

“When has that ever stopped you from dating who you want?” Alex demands.

That’s a valid point. Alex knows it’s a valid point. But the look on Michael’s face still feels like a gut punch. He tenses his stomach and refuses to let the wind get knocked out of him. He can deal with his date being an asshole. Really, he can deal with that part of this, which probably says nothing good about his self worth. But Michael coming to his rescue? That he can’t have happen. He can’t depend on him for that. Michael’s been his safety net for far too long, he needs it to stop. They both do, but right now he does and he’ll take responsibility for that.

“Why are you with that jackass anyway?” Michael questions.

“I’m not,” Alex says, finally coming forward with a wad of napkins he managed to grab in the commotion. Not wanting Michael to fly to his honor doesn’t mean he wants him bleeding in the alley, “we’re just having fun.”

“Yeah? Because he said tonight you were gonna have sex.”

Embarrassment floods his system. Being comfortably out of the closet as an adult is hard. Harder than he thought it would be. He’s up for the challenge, he knows that. But the idea of his date sharing details of their sex life with the entire Wild Pony makes his stomach twist. He shoves the embarrassment aside. That’s for him to deal with. Michael doesn’t need to know he was right to do what he did. Even a little bit. He watches Michael press the napkins to his nose and wonders if there will ever be a time where Michael doesn’t shed blood for him.

“That’s just how he is,” he says.

“Yeah, so, why are you having fun with  _him_?” Michael repeats. Alex presses his lips together. “I’m your friend. You shouldn’t date assholes like that.”

“Probably just my type,” Alex says. Now it’s Michael’s turn to glare, “why am I with him? He doesn’t care.”

“He doesn’t care?” Michael repeats, “I could have told you that. That’s what I am trying to tell you!”

“I like that,” Alex says, “he doesn’t care. Nothing matters. He doesn’t care that I’m a Manes, he doesn’t care about my issues,” he shrugs, “either he’ll leave and it doesn’t matter or he’ll stick around, Michael.”

He immediately realizes his mistake the moment Michael moves towards him. Alex has never been afraid of Michael in his entire life. Even now knowing what he’s capable of, he doesn’t budge as Michael gets into his personal space. Even when the smell of him hits his nose. He refuses to budge. They haven’t been this physically close in months but he stands his ground and squeezes every centimeter out of the quarter inch he has on Michael.

“Take that back,” Michael says.

“Take what back?” Alex asks, confused but unwilling to let it show. He has more of a right to be pissed off right now than Michael does, “he doesn’t care? My issues—“

“He’ll stick around. Take it back. I stuck around for a decade waiting for you and it wasn’t enough.”

“Then it was right into someone else’s arms—“  
  
“After ten years!” Michael cuts him off, “ten years of loving you. Even when you were gone. Even when you  _wanted_  to go.”

It’s almost a relief when Michael’s fingers close around the lapel of his jacket, even when he grabs his wrist. The physical touch is jarring, though he knows they’ve touched since. Their fingers have brushed, their hands have shaken, none of them have felt as livewire charged as this moment does. Michael’s got napkins in his nose and Alex still feels the knot of anger in his gut. Michael has no business running his tongue across the bottom swell of his lip as he tightens his fingers in his jacket.

“How ‘bout it,  _Alex_ , you still want to go?” He asks.

“Do you?” Alex demands.

“I’m still here aren’t I?” Michael snaps, close enough that Alex can smell the tequila on his breath.

Michael glances down and Alex follows his gaze to see that Michael’s still holding his jacket and he’s still got a grip on his wrist. He can practically hear a more naive version of himself telling him that they aren’t kids. What he wants doesn’t matter. How stupid had he been to think that way? Michael looks up at the same time.

Alex doesn’t know who moves first.

Michael tastes like tequila and bad ideas and he tries to inhale it as Michael drops his hold on his jacket to haul him closer. Alex finally, finally buries his fingers back in Michale’s curls, pulling him closer. Talking isn’t something he cares about suddenly. Nothing seems to matter but the way Michael nips at his bottom lip and invades every single one of his senses. The world may end with a whimper but it comes back to life with a bang as Michael brings everything back into focus. Finally he pulls back long enough to knock their foreheads together and Alex feels Michael swipe along his lip.

“Sorry,” Michael says, “I got blood on you.”

“No more bleeding for me,” Alex tells him, “can you at least do that?”

“I make no promises,” Michael says, “but not dating those assholes might help.”

Alex kisses him again, just to make it clear there’s only one asshole he plans to date in the near future.


End file.
